Marion County RECORD

Marion City Council approved a beautification plan for Main Street between Walnut and Elm streets.
That plan, authored by Darin Neufeld of Evans, Bierly, Hutchinson, and Associates Engineering in conjunction with Marion PRIDE, calls for 47 new street lights costing about $285,000, brick inlaid cross walks at each intersection, $105,000, brick ribbon in the sidewalk between First and Fifth streets, $30,000, and an electronic sign to be placed at the southwestern bend of the First Street intersection, $35,000.

Bob Ogle believes he has one duty in life: to serve others.
“I think we all have a duty to lend a helping hand to our neighbor,” the Florence volunteer firefighter said. “I do it because I care about the people in this community. We have a great bunch of people here and it is a great honor to serve them. If someone needs something, I’ll do everything I can to make sure their needs are met. It’s just the way I’m wired.”

Cattle getting loose between Hillsboro and Peabody have become such a recurring problem that Marion County Commission intends to enact fines for frequent offenders.
Sheriff Rob Craft said Thursday that his department had responded to 40 calls about cattle being loose in the area between Hillsboro and Peabody during 2012.

While flipping through an old church directory, Carl Helm noticed familiar faces.
“I know a lot of these people,” the pastor of Marion Christian Church said. “There are ones that I don’t recognize. But when I look at the name, I realize that they are the great-grand parents or grandparents of the people who are currently attending the church.”

Lillian Peters, 89, died Jan. 29 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro.
She was born July 4, 1923, to Reinhard and Anna (Hiebert) Funk. She was a licensed practical nurse at Salem Home in Hillsboro.

MARION — Dorothy Helen Wade Widler, 82, retired bank cashier and church secretary, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013.
She was born in Wichita, Kan., to Everett Wade and Cerece (Dowell) Wade. Dorothy attended and graduated from Burns High School with the class of 1948.

Edith B. White of Redding, Calif., and formerly of Florence, Kan., passed away Jan. 30, 2013 at the age of 101.
Edith was born Oct. 12, 1911, in Burns, Kan., to Edward M. and Ella E. Robinson of Burns. She attended Burns and Peabody, Kan., schools and graduated from Peabody High School in 1929.

All Georgia Spohn of Tampa wanted was to find a mock turtleneck sweatshirt.
“I can’t find one anywhere,” the 93-year-old said, while rummaging through the racks at the Et Cetera Shop in Hillsboro. “I have looked in all the other stores. If they don’t have it here, I’m just going to forget the whole thing. I will never shop online. I don’t even have one of those computer things. It’s too risky.”

Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman scrolled through 200 emails.
All of them inquired about moving to a rural opportunity zone, although many of the would-be applicants do not even specify that they want to move to Marion to receive student loan forgiveness and Kansas Income Tax exemption the program provides.

A recent federal proposal aims to help struggling families avoid costs of commercial tax preparation.
The VITA Act, introduced two weeks ago in the U.S. House of Representatives, would strengthen free-of-charge, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance services that aid low- and moderate-income, working households.

It was smiles all around for recipients and gift representatives of Goessel Community Foundation grants Friday in Goessel. Between the high school girls’ and boys’ basketball games, foundation chair Cindy Wiens said it was a very good feeling to give money back to Goessel that originally came from the sale of the AGAPE Senior Center and other donators.
“We are so happy to award checks to four local groups that are very important in our community,” Wiens said. “It is very exciting to be at the point with our foundation that we can give this money out.”

The Marion Christian Church Youth Group is holding a Valentine’s Dinner at 6 p.m. Sunday to raise money for their mission trip to Knoxville, Tenn.
The teens plan to serve at-risk youth and enjoy the Rocky Mountains in March.

Hillsboro City Administrator Larry Paine touted the benefits of using technology to prepare for meetings Monday while speaking with Marion County Commission.
Paine told the commission about Hillsboro City Council’s use of Apple iPad tablet computers in place of paper agenda packets. He said the switch to electronic agendas has saved paper and staff time putting the packets together and delivering them to council members.

Dave Yates has had it with drivers taking a shortcut along his road, going by at speeds he often considers dangerous.
Yates lives along Dan Drive, a narrow gravel street shared by several homes north of Marion County Lake. It connects with Gilham Road on the north and Lakeshore Drive on the south, making it a shortcut from Upland Road to the north end of the lake.

The Marion Post Office has two open positions. Postmaster Lori Kelsey said the office is in the process of hiring a rural carrier.
She has posted a part-time position of post office clerk on usps.com.

One of the biggest hurdles facing new businesses is the investment often required just to get off the ground. That is especially true for entrepreneurs whose businesses are food-related. Health regulations for restaurants and food companies serve an important purpose, but they also increase the investment needed to start a business. So I was thrilled Monday when Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman spoke with the County Commission about starting a certified commercial kitchen using grants, and making that kitchen available for new food businesses to rent.
In the approximately 4.5 years I’ve been in Marion County, I’ve had the pleasure of featuring several excellent cooks, bakers, and jelly-makers. All of them make products that match or exceed the quality of most mass-marketed equivalents, and I think there would be a strong market for such artisanal wares from local kitchens. And I’m sure there are dozens of others whose products would be just as popular.

Editor’s note: Cade Harms’ essay placed first in eighth grade in the local level of the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, sponsored by VFW Post 6958 and the post’s Ladies Auxiliary. It also placed first at the district level and second in the state. Harms won a $200 scholarship for his essay.
I believe that we have created a strong nation since the American Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, and I would be sure to tell our Founding Fathers so. We have also made mistakes and we have drifted slightly away from what our fathers would have done had they been alive at the time. I would tell them this and so much more if I had the privilege. Let me explain.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

The USD 481 Board of Education voted 6-1 to combine the athletic departments of its two schools, Hope and White City, after a public meeting Jan. 23. The schools already are combined under one superintendent in the Rural Vista school district.
According to Hope Principal Mike Teeter, the two schools will maintain separate football schedules next year, but junior high and high school volleyball and basketball will be combined under the name Rural Vista. Football will be combined the following year.

Little bodies of color flit and flash from branch to branch, chirping and preening, showing off for Hillsboro’s Salem Home residents, staff, and visitors.
“They are curious little things,” Heather Crocker, aviary caretaker and Salem Home employee said on Friday. “The residents enjoy watching them, especially when we put in the bird bath. Now that’s entertaining.”

The rays of a warm sun cast shadows on nearly 20 runners on Sunday at the starting line of the Hillsboro Frostbite Run. It was a much better day than the originally scheduled Jan. 1 date for the areas first run of the year.
“It was a perfect day,” Kodi Panzer of Marion said the day after the race. “I ran 16 miles before heading to the start of the Frostbite Run, and 20 miles the day before.”

The Harlem Quartet is performing at McPherson Opera House 7p.m. Saturday.
The Harlem quartet is Ilmar Gavilan on violin, Melissa White, violin, Jaime Amador, viola, and Matthew Zalkind, cello. They plan to play classical and jazz music, including Beethoven and Chick Corea.

A free screening for children birth through age five will be Tuesday at United Methodist church, 403 Sycamore St., Peabody.
Appointments will be available from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Marion City Library has purchased three new computers to be used in the children’s area for children ages 4 to 10 to play educational online games.
Some of the sites that will be available are Coolmath, Discovery Kids, Funbrain, PBS Kids, Kidzui, Funology, I Spy, and Lego. The library encourages parents to sit with their child and play games together or take time to browse the library while their child plays.

The following Lifelong Learning programs will be presented this semester at 9:45 a.m. in the Wohlgemuth Music Education Center at Tabor College.
Feb. 22: “A Concert of My Favorite Things,” by Steve Vincent.

The Florence Chess Club meets 10 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of each month at 726 Marion Street, Florence.
All ages and skill levels are welcome and there is no cost. For more information, call Holly Pereillo at (316) 305-1780.

The Happy Hustler’s 4-H Club met Jan. 7 at Marion Christian Church.
During the meeting, members discussed possible options for their Winter Get Together and talked about the upcoming 4-H Club Days.

The family of Lucille Kerbs of Tampa is requesting a card shower for her 80th birthday Feb. 15.
Lucille Gooding Kerbs was married to the late Reuben Kerbs for 56 years. She has lived all of her adult life in Tampa. She has four children, nine grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren.

Former Marion resident, Mary Alice Parmley has written a children’s book, “Traveler.” The book follows the activities of a dog that was present at the birth of Christ. Parmley said the book is self-published.
She previously wrote, “Thoughtful Reflection in Poetry,” and other children’s stories and poems. She was a teacher for 44 years and currently lives in Topeka.

Brandi Hendrix of Marion, executive director of the Technology Excellence in Education Network, has accepted a position as principal of the Herington Middle School and Herington High School beginning this fall.
Hendrix said she has worked with the Herington school district the past five years, and she could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of its administration.

Marion Elementary School fifth-grade class raised funds for two local charities.
They decided to donate money this year in lieu of doing a Christmas gift exchange.

Coleman L. Jackson of Cedar Point and Jonathan Suderman King of Hillsboro were named to the University of Oklahoma-Norman honor roll.
For most colleges, students must earn a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to be included.

Sherri Butler of Hillsboro graduated from the practical nursing program at Hutchinson Community College Dec. 12.
The practical nursing program instructs students in the basic skills necessary in all types of nursing and care settings. The certificate program has two locations in McPherson and Salina.

The Marion High School Boys Ensemble and Tabor College Concert Choir will perform a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Marion Performing Arts Center.
This concert will feature the program that both groups will present in Wichita at the Kansas Music Educators In-Service Workshop.

Centre USD 397 Superintendent Jerri Kemble and two high school students, Beka Basore and Makenzie Deines, testified last Wednesday before a joint session of the Kansas House and Senate Education Committees.
During the hour-and-a-half-long session, they spoke about project-based learning as it is being applied at Centre schools.

Centre FFA members participated in several south central district career development events Friday in Arkansas City.
The A-team in agricultural sales took first place. Individually, Carrie Carlson was first overall, Anna Weber, third, and Nellie Kassebaum, fifth. Bryanna Svoboda was the fourth member of the team.

Several members of the Centre Future Business Leaders of America chapter brought home top finishes from the District Five competition Saturday at Canton-Galva High School.
Ally Basore in FBLA Principles and Procedures, Carrie Carlson in Job Interview, and Makenzie Deines in Public Speaking II earned first place.

Harms Residence Hall at Tabor College is now home to 16 male students. College leaders will officially dedicate the structure at 11 a.m. Feb. 23 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The facility will be open for public tours.

After finding out Friday that the gardening bug, not termites, had bitten Superintendent John Fast recently, Goessel Elementary students learned at a school assembly that Mid-Kansas Cooperative selected their school garden program for a $500 grant award.
“A large portion of the donations we make go toward agriculture education, fighting hunger, and youth leadership programs,” Kerry Watson, MKC communications specialist said prior to the Goessel award assembly. “This gardening project hits two of those sections: teaching kids where food comes from and fighting hunger. We have heard they donate some of their excess garden produce each year to local food banks as well.”

The Centre Cougars suffered their third consecutive loss Friday at Goessel after losing Jan. 25 to Wakefield and Jan. 29 to Solomon. All three losses were on the road.
Centre led for three quarters but lost in the end, 46-41.

It appeared that the Centre Lady Cougars had won the game, 45-43, Friday at Goessel after Shelby Makovec made a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
However, after a timeout called by Goessel coach Ryan Hoopes, Cacey Simons guarded Alex Hiebert closely as she moved along the sideline looking for an open teammate. As she did so, Simons ran over Jessica Harvey as she went for the ball. Harvey then made two free throws at the other end of the court to send the game into overtime.

Members of the 1972-73 Centre High School girls’ basketball team will be recognized Friday during halftime of the girls’ homecoming game against Wakefield.
Activities Director Greg Wyatt said he expects most of the members and the coach to be there.

The shots weren’t falling for Jordan Hett and Jacob Harper Tuesday at Ell Saline.
While Hett still had 11 points by continuously getting into the paint, Harper only had four points on the night and did not score until midway through the third quarter.

When the Marion boys visited Berean Academy on Friday, neither team scored for almost three minutes to begin the game.
When Taylor Heidebrecht made a free throw with 5:11 left in the first quarter, points started flowing in slowly for Marion. But even after Berean scored its first point with 2:44 left in the quarter, their offense barely began to trickle in. Marion led 9-1 at the end of the first quarter.

Injuries mounted for the Marion girls’ basketball team Tuesday against Ell-Saline in a 47-27 loss.
Head coach Kelly Robson said point guard Erin Meierhoff was still not 100 percent after an ankle injury in December. Her bum ankle was not helped when she hit the deck in the first quarter.

The Marion girls’ basketball team’s 2-3 zone defense was quite adept at limiting Berean Academy’s post players from scoring on Friday, but Berean scored too many points in transition and defeated Marion, 42-26.
Many of Marion’s turnovers came without a dead ball opportunity to set the defense against Berean. The Berean girls played tight man-to-man defense on whoever had the ball for Marion, while the other defenders played the passing lanes, grabbing steal after steal.

The Marion High School wrestling team had fewer matches than wrestlers in attendance at the Chase County Double Dual on Thursday, but they won all but one of the matches they had.
Because both teams had several open classes, Marion had only three matches against Eureka. Marion also had only four matches against Remington.

After the final buzzer Friday at Berean Academy, a handful of Marion Warriors basketball fans made their way through the visitors’ section, picking up candy wrappers to throw away.
It isn’t an isolated incident. Marion school officials have been promoting cleaning up the visitors’ section after road games in all sports for several years. High School Principal Tod Gordon and Athletic Director Grant Thierolf both credited the tendency to Superintendent Lee Leiker.

The last time Barb and Larry Smith of Marion took a vacation to Branson, Mo., they could only attend one variety show because of high cost.
“Where we used to be able to go to four or five shows, we had to choose only one because the cost per show was so high,” Barb Smith said. “I am so excited that we are bringing a Branson quality show and a five-course dinner to Marion for Valentine’s Day, and it is less than half of what you would pay there per person.”